Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history because I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle. This home was particularly fun because it was the second kitchen we had done for this family and was quite a departure from the style of the first kitchen. The before shot of the kitchen shows a view from the family room. See the dropped ceiling? We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals? Well we soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew! The shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point shows how much taller the ceilings are. It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light! Another serious consideration was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator. After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead. This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light. The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room. Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

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This ranch was a complete renovation! We took it down to the studs and redesigned the space for this young family. We opened up the main floor to create a large kitchen with two islands and seating for a crowd and a dining nook that looks out on the beautiful front yard. We created two seating areas, one for TV viewing and one for relaxing in front of the bar area. We added a new mudroom with lots of closed storage cabinets, a pantry with a sliding barn door and a powder room for guests. We raised the ceilings by a foot and added beams for definition of the spaces. We gave the whole home a unified feel using lots of white and grey throughout with pops of orange to keep it fun.

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The shower includes dual shower areas, four body spray tiles (two on each side) and a large glass surround keeping the uncluttered theme for the room while still offering privacy with an etched “belly band” around the perimeter. The etching is only on the outside of the glass with the inside being kept smooth for cleaning purposes. The end result is a bathroom that is luxurious and light, with nothing extraneous to distract the eye. The peaceful and quiet ambiance that the room exudes hit exactly the mark that the clients were looking for.

Bedroom Decorating ideas. Rustic meets Urban Chic Interior designer Rebecca Robeson, mixed the glamour of luxury fabrics, furry rugs, brushed brass and polished nickel, clear walnut… both stained and painted... alongside rustic barn wood, clear oak and concrete with exposed ductwork, to come up with this dreamy, yet dramatic, urban loft style Bedroom. Three whimsical "Bertjan Pot" pendant lights, suspend above the bed and nightstands creating a spectacular effect against the reclaimed barn wood wall. At the foot of the bed, two comfortable upholstered chairs (Four-Hands) and a fabulous Italian leather pouf ottoman, sit quietly on an oversized bamboo silk and sheepskin rug. Rebecca adds coziness and personality with 2 oval mirrors directly above the custom-made nightstands. Adjacent the bed wall, another opportunity to add texture to the 13-foot-tall room with barn wood, serving as its backdrop to a large 108” custom made dresser and 72” flat screen television. Collected and gathered bedding and accessories make this a cozy and personal resting place for our homeowner. In this Bedroom, all furniture pieces and window treatments are custom designs by Interior Designer Rebecca Robeson made specifically for this project. Contractor installed barn wood, Earthwood Custom Remodeling, Inc. Black Whale Lighting Photos by Ryan Garvin Photography

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Living room. Photography by Lucas Henning.
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